It is impossible to rate this film because it is about the subject inexplicably painful and graphic, and still absolutely worth seeing, no matter how difficult it is. It is about sexualized racism. And it says a lot about white man and a white Europe. We still live in that world. This film make people think. I cannot recommend it to anyone sensitive, still I have to praise the director and the lead actress. Knowing that Abdelativ Kechiche made also two other great movies, Kus-kus and Blue is the warmest color, I understand his poetics, and this film falls in that category of his great films as well.Of course, from the first minute of the movie, we know how a black African woman will be treated in white Europe 100 years ago, just probably, especially if we are from white Europe, we did not have a clue about the extent and details of how racist gender abuse looks like, and what is the link to the presence. Now we know, and we cannot pretend that we haven't seen this film.

After hearing about this film through a significant amount of media attention in my neck of the woods (the Netherlands) I decided to give it a shot. The reviewers on TV and in the newspaper were talking about a story that was both moving and horrific, and that was sadly true as well.** Spoilers beyond this point **The movie starts of with the bodycast of our "black Venus" and her genitalia in a jar, which is passed around while we are shown detailed drawings of her vagina. Seriously WTF/ After that the movie tries to shock us again by showing us the performance black Venus has to do on stage. While you get it after 1 minute (yes she's in a cage, yes its demeaning, yes it's wrong) the director chooses to show it's entire length. This was the first time I checked my watch, OMG only 35 minutes in an already bored?What follows is more or less a how-to guide in how NOT to get the audience emotionally involved with your characters. Black Venus gets the chance to make a stance at a hearing in court about what's going on, claims it's her free will to participate, she's an actress yadadada. OK, cool, good for you Venus, while after seeing the stage show for the millionth time and enduring another round of shock-fire from the misguided director the movie becomes unbearable and is just as hard on you as it is on Venus. The movie drags on for a good 1,5 hours after this point. OK WE GET IT SHE IS NØT HAPPY. AAARGH!!!!I feel almost ashamed to say this but I only felt relieve when she finally dropped dead in the movie, cause we knew it was almost over.Horrible horrible horrible drag of a film, and it's up with the worst of the worst in my book.Definite NO GOBe warned!!

I couldn't disagree more with those who say that they have been abused for three hours. Yes, the film is hard to swallow; yes, a number of scenes are degrading. But, the plot is not so straightforward as some say.In fact, some characters grow more complex than they seem to be at first sight and there is a distinct gradation in the way people (i.e. : the characters who watch the show, not the spectators in the cinema) react to the exhibition of this woman. It could even be argued that the higher we move in society, the more unpleasant and distasteful their reactions become, to culminate with the absolute callousness of the leading scientists of the time.But discussing the content of the film might lead us to forget its essential quality : it is a stunning piece of cinema and especially so in the most unpalatable scenes. It might be added that, besides the performance of the leading actress, another performer could well deserve an Oscar or a prize wherever that film will be shown : Olivier Gourmet, usually an excellent actor, delivers here a world-class performance (in three languages, mind you!)

Before start I need to say that the cast is great especially Yahima Torres as the title character. Its an Oscar worthy performance, unfortunately it's buried in a film that is abusive to its audience as it is to the title character.I saw this at the first screening at the NYFF and when it was over the audience around me wanted to find and kill the director. The audience was subdued, or rather the audience that remained was subdued and was mumbling about what would have made the film better...This is the story of Saartjie 'Sarah' Baartman, best known as the Hottentot Venus, a woman of unique proportions who was exhibited all over Europe and died a tragic death. The film is told in flashback and starts with a lecture where her body parts are exhibited, and then flashes back to her days in London before taking us all the way back to her dissection. Its a warts and all look at the abuse she suffered in her life.Nasty unpleasant unending film that is nothing but a repetitive catalog of the abuses that Baartman suffered in her life. It goes on and an on as she's abused in shows, by scientists, in sex shows, in brothels and as a streetwalker. There is no light no character only abuse.The idea is that we are suppose to be made to feel complicit in the abuse and we are supposed to feel something but after almost three hours of GRAPHIC abuse wears you down. You go numb and if you were part of the audience at Alice Tully Hall you want to find the director and hit him.While I wasn't driven to homicidal thoughts I was bored after a certain part and by the time she's cut up and put into jars I didn't much care.On the other hand the news footage that plays during the end credits of her remains being returned to South Africa brought me to tears, but it would have done so even if I hadn't been abused for three hours.Honestly the director makes his point after ten minutes and doesn't need two hours and a half hour more to repeat the point. By doing so he loses the argument and the audience.